Brown
by 3VAD127
Summary: Kim gets a special gift.


**Disclaimer:** All the characters expressed herein are property of Disney. I own nothing, as usual.

**Author's Notes:** This little fiction was inspired by a story circulating the Internet. A guy from my church read it to the youth group, and I couldn't help but think of Kim and Ron. You may or may not have heard this story before, but be warned: This wasn't really my idea. I took something off the Internet and transformed it to fit into the KP-verse. I hope you enjoy it, anyway.

Many thanks to any and all who are reading. You guys rock in digital surround sound!

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**Brown**

Kimberly Ann Possible was not born blind. This she knew for a fact.

Her hair was red, the sky was blue, pro wrestling was fake. It was a fact of life.

But she could not see.

Kim felt herself pressed between two crisp, clean linens. Bed sheets. A sort of gauze was wrapped around her head, two circular pads covering her eyes. This was why she could not see anything. She reached up and touched the bandage. What had happened?

Dementor.

Mission.

Explosion.

Bright light.

It was all coming back to her now. She and her boyfriend Ron were on a routine mission to save the world from Professor Dementor and his hench-goons. But… something had gone wrong. She now found herself in the hospital, knee deep in way more questions than answers.

A few more minor details flooded her mind as she lay back against the flimsy mattress. Kim could hear various machines beeping, humming, and dripping all around her.

But she could not see.

The redhead decided to bide her time until someone came in to check on her. A dark world was a very disturbing place, she thought. Kimberly could see nothing but pitch black, thus being forced to rely on her remaining four senses to gather information. The sensation was unsettling.

An eternity passed before the door opened and someone entered. Heavy, feminine footsteps. A nurse dead on her feet. The nurse checked her and noticed she was awake.

"Kim," she said, "can you hear me?"

Kim opened her mouth to speak, but could only nod.

"Good. Now just lie back, sweetheart; take it easy. You took a pretty nasty shot. I'm going to let in some visitors, OK?"

Kim nodded again, and she heard the nurse clomp over and open the door.

Three people. The light steps of her mother, confident heel-toe stroll of Mr. Dr. Possible, and, of course, the unfocused clumps of one Ron Stoppable.

Kimberly barely managed a smile as she heard the small group gather around her bed.

"Oh sweetie, I'm so glad you're OK." Mrs. P hugged Kim and brushed a strand of hair from her bandage. Kim swore she heard tears in the voice of her father as he spoke.

"You gave us quite a scare, Kimmie-cub."

The redhead spoke. "Wh-what happened?" she croaked.

Ron's voice was thick. "We went on a mission, KP. Don't you remember?"

"I remember some. It was Dementor. How did I end up here?"

Kim's mother took over. "That freaky German guy had built a giant robotic exoskeleton designed for the sole purpose of destroying you. It got past every one of your super suit's defenses."

She could sense her dad nodding. "We saw it all on the news. He stole some sort of advanced laser cannon and mounted it on the arm of the suit. It was aimed right at you. Thankfully, Ronald was there to pull you out just in time – but not before you got an eyeful of his laser."

That explained the bandages. Kim could hear the shuffle of Ron's jersey as he moved towards her. His voice was hoarse. "I… We thought you were dead, KP."

Kim opened her arms and invited him for a hug. "No way," she whispered to him. She buried her head into his shoulder, savoring the smell and feel of Ron against her. Kim felt him shift, then two soft lips pressed against hers. She melted in his arms, wishing she would never have to leave.

All too quickly, it ended. He pulled back, but not before whispering a few words of affection into her ear. She smiled.

Mrs. Possible spoke. "Kimmie, I've got next shift at the hospital today. If I'm lucky, I can come in here and check on you every now and then."

Kim nodded. "Where are the Tweebs?" she asked. Even though they were now bona fide teenagers, old habits did die hard.

"They can only let so many people in to visit you in your condition," the elder Possible replied. "They're at home keeping themselves occupied by building a new prototype rocket."

The young heroine groaned, but smiled good naturedly. She finally realized that building experimental rocket prototypes and constructing handheld silicon phase disruptors were her brothers' thing – much like she saved the world.

"We'll see you later, Kimmie-cub. I think your mother and I will give you and Ronald some time alone," Mr. Dr. P said. She heard her parents exit and Ron rustle his clothing as he fidgeted nervously.

He finally broke the silence. "So… how bad is it?"

"I don't know," she answered. "They haven't taken the bandages off yet."

"Oh." A short silence.

He took a breath. "Oh KP, I'm so so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen to you!" His speech was laden with tears. "I… I just…"

"Ron."

He stopped.

"Ron, it's cool. I know you were just trying to help me out. If you hadn't been there, I'd probably be… y'know, dead right now."

"Yeah." Ron reached over and held her hand. Kim felt all his nervousness fade as they enjoyed each other's presence. Conversation easily flowed between them now, and Kim politely asked him to come back tomorrow. He smiled at her.

"Of course. I've always got your back, KP."

So she was satisfied until the nurse came in and announced visiting hours were over. She was upset when Ron said goodbye and kissed her cheek. Kim Possible, college age crime fighter and local globe trotter, hated being alone. Especially without her boyfriend. He meant everything to her, and she wanted him to stay with her during her entire hospital stay.

But that was selfish.

Not being able to see anything but infinite darkness was a new feeling for Kim. Sure, there were times during various missions they had to enter dark caverns or they got stuck in a lair explosion, but there was always at least a pinch of gray on the horizon.

But she could not see.

Maybe it was her Type A personality that hated the fact one of her valuable senses was inaccessible. Or maybe it was the almost primal, instinctive fear of complete and total darkness instilled in everyone. Either way, her vulnerability left her fidgety and upset. It would be hard to get through to the next morning, but she could handle this sitch. She always did.

----------

The next few weeks passed by in a blur. Every day, Ron would come and visit her. Kimberly was thankful for his company, and every day, she became more and more aware of how much she appreciated him. And every day, the doctors came in, took notes, and changed her bandages.

But she _still_ could not see.

What was going on? Almost three weeks of nonstop darkness had honed her other senses somewhat. Since her eyes were covered, hearing and smelling became important to collect information. And every time her boyfriend ran his fingers through her hair or kissed her softly, these small things suddenly became very big. Ronald's largish hands and his gentle touch were heightened by her loss of sight.

That was perhaps the only good thing that came from this.

She saw her friends and family, including Monique, Wade, the Tweebs, her grandmother, and even the cheer squad, minus Bonnie. Kim soon learned how to identify a person's height, gender, and approximate weight by the way they walked across the room.

But she hated it. She hated the constant void and the fact her bandages were still on.

But one day, one of her doctors came in. It was her mom.

"Hi, honey," Mrs. Possible said.

"Hey Mom."

"I'm just here to check up on you, but the other doctors and I have been talking."

"About what?"

Mrs. P sighed. "You. Remember those tests we took last week?"

Kim nodded.

"Well, we… suspect something's wrong. The doctors," here she swallowed, "haven't seen any progress in your… condition." Kimberly could tell her mother was having a hard time getting it out.

"What's wrong, Mom?" There was a hint of fear in her voice.

"We need to check on some things first. I'll close up the room and take off the bandages. Is that OK?"

Kim gave the signal, and Dr. Possible switched off the light. The young woman felt her mother gently cut apart the bandages, much like the doctors did. But this time, she felt the pads come off too.

"Alright, sweetheart, you may not be able to see for a few moments, but don't be upset. It will take a few moments for your eyes to adjust."

The redhead nodded, thankful that the awful bandages were finally coming off.

Kim shook her head and blinked, but after a few minutes, she was still sensing only inky blackness.

"Mom, are you sure you took it all off?"

"Yes." Her voice was steady and unreadable.

"I…" Kim choked. "I don't see anything." She expected her mother to burst into tears or hug her tightly. Instead, Mrs. Dr. Possible only sighed.

"We were afraid of that."

"Mom…" She hated the tone of her mother's voice.

A rustle of clothing. Fidgeting hands. Lowered head. "I don't know how to tell you this, honey," Mrs. P began softly, "but we think the damage is irreversible."

Kimberly felt her throat constrict. "Wha—?"

Tears. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Kimmie. There was nothing we could do." Two arms wrapped around her body, but the younger Possible could not feel them. _Irreversible?_

No way.

This was how she spent her next few weeks. Her frustration took hold and grew, festering until she couldn't feel anything but anger towards herself for being so stupid. She should have been more careful. She was _the_ Kim Possible! There was no way a stupid little thing like blindness could ever happen to her!

But it did.

Kim Possible spent her first few days of permanent darkness crying and berating herself. After this, her anger took hold and numbed her whole body. The only time she actually _felt_ anything was during Ron's visits.

One day as he walked in, Kim could sense he was nervous about something.

"Hey, KP," he said, kissing her softly. Standard Ron Stoppable greeting.

"Hey Ron. What's up?"

He sighed. "Trying to stay focused in business math is much harder than I ever realized."

"Which reminds me, you took that class why?"

"My dad. And I needed that class to keep my options open in case the culinary thing didn't work out."

She squeezed his hand. "Whatever you do, you'll be great as long as you put all of your effort into it."

Ron said, "I've told you, KP. When the Ronster does something, he always puts in 110 percent!"

She smiled as they shared a moment. Oh, how she wished she could see those beautiful coffee colored eyes again. Those cute little freckles, or the adorable ears. At this moment, Kim Possible hated her condition so much more than she ever thought possible. She realized that never again would she see him smile or catch his secret gazes of adoration.

She sensed a change in his attitude. "Uh, hey KP, is it OK if I ask you a question? A really, really important one?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Alright. But before you answer, I want you to know I already talked to your dad about it, and he's cool with it." He took a breath. "So, uh, here goes.

"We've been best friends since like, forever. I care about you a lot, and I know you feel the same way. But as we get older, I think we need to grow up and mature. Just like we went from acquaintances to best friends in preschool, and then we started going out in high school. Now that we're in college, I think it's OK if we take it to the next step."

Kim knew what he was going to say, but she was unprepared to answer. How could she? She was blind… she was imperfect. She felt tears come.

"Kimberly Ann Possible, will, you please marry me?"

"I, I…" she cried softly, "I don't know what to say, Ron. It's just me, in this sitch… And you, I just can't—"

Ron felt his own tears. "No, no KP. You don't have to answer. I guess I just got too excited, and…"

"Ron." A pause. "It's OK. It's just… If I could see you again, I would marry you in an instant."

He understood.

A few hours later, Ron left. Kim was left alone to think about his proposal. She loved him and really wanted to marry him, but her frustration and self-loathing was stronger. She didn't want Ron married to someone who couldn't even see. Of course, there were many others like her, but she was so engrossed in her own problems she failed to think of anyone else.

Kim soon lost track of time. But eventually, her mom came back and said she wasn't here just for a checkup. The redhead adored her mother's presence and constant visits, but she hoped some news about her condition would come up.

It soon did.

Mrs. Possible said, "Kimmie, good news! We've found a way to give you back your sight. With the new upgraded equipment here at the hospital, a total eye transplant is finally possible."

Kim was excited and quickly told Ron the next day. All they had to do was find a suitable donor, and Kim would get back her vision. A donor was found, and she was back in bandages. But this time she knew they would come off and she would be able to see – then she and Ron would get married.

Married. That thought excited her. Ron had been by her side since they were four, and she could barely wait to be engaged and to see the look in his eyes when he saw her again.

It was a dark room. The dressings were removed, and after a few moments, Kim saw a few murky outlines. These soon transformed into silhouettes, and she squinted as her new eyes adjusted. Her mom, dad, brothers, and Ron were all here. She was so excited she laughed and hugged each and every person in turn. Everyone knew about Ron's proposal, so they left shortly afterwards and promised to come back.

Even though she recognized everyone, Kimberly couldn't see details very clearly. Eye color, facial expressions, and subtle body motions were still blurry, but she was too happy to care.

Ron sat down, a huge smile on his face. "So, KP, will you marry me now?"

"I…" Then she noticed the cane. "What's that?"

"Oh, this?" He tapped it against the floor. "Just something I use to get around."

Kim was speechless – and then she noticed his eyes. They weren't fixed on her. Instead, they stared off into space, never blinking, occasionally jerking back and forth. Kim felt her suppressed self-loathing she thought she had put away so long ago. Her throat constricted as she realized he, too, was blind. "Ron," she choked, "why didn't you tell me?"

"I – I didn't know how to tell you without freaking you out. I'm sorry."

She shook her head violently. "No. I can't deal with this…"

"Kim—"

"You're lying to me!" she cried. "No, you would never…"

"But Kim, the mission…"

Tears. "No! I don't believe you." She wiped them away quickly. "Get out of here."

"But—"

"Leave!"

He left. Crying.

So was she.

----------

One week.

Seven days at home, and not one word from Ron. Then again, could she really blame him? She had been so harsh, brushed him off so coldly just because of a physical setback. A handicap she loathed more than anything else. But she just couldn't deal.

Kimberly had spent the whole time in her room, crying and beating her pillow in frustration. Her mother sent up her meals to her loft; sometimes she ate, but most times she didn't. She left only to go to the bathroom and take a freezing cold shower.

But never once had she looked in the mirror. Her reflection was probably haggard and worn; she had just lost her best friend/boyfriend of her own accord, after all. She blamed herself. Leaving her body to deteriorate on its own was part of her punishment.

And then she received a letter.

From Ron.

She opened it and noticed something. It was typed, but there were many misspellings and blotches on the paper. She read it carefully, holding it up as she sat in front of her dresser mirror.

_Dearest Kim,_

_I apologize for my actions at the hospital. I shouldn't have pushed something on you so hard when you clearly weren't ready. I hope you can forgive me._

_I understand if you don't want to see me again, but I hope you know this: I love you. You are my best friend, and I shall never find such a wonderful life partner as you. I know you are strong, and you will recover eventually. That's who you are. But I have one thing to ask you, Kim. No matter what you do, whether it be freak fighting or battling cancer, please…_

Kimberly wept as she read and saw her reflection. Her eyes were brown.

…_just take care of my eyes, KP._


End file.
